In the News

Va. Senate Attempts Repeal of Antiabortion-Rights Laws

February 12, 2014 —
The Virginia Senate on Tuesday narrowly passed a bill (SB 617) that would repeal a state law requiring ultrasounds before abortions but defeated a measure (SB 618) that would have allowed private health plans sold through the state's health insurance exchange to offer abortion coverage, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

SB 617, which would repeal the ultrasound law, was approved 21-20, with Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) casting a tiebreaking vote to pass the measure.

According to the Times-Dispatch, the bill would have been defeated by a 21-19 vote, but state Sen. Charles Colgan (D) mistakenly voted in favor of the repeal. He later corrected his vote for the record with the state Senate's clerk. A motion to hold another vote was rejected.

SB 618, the abortion coverage bill, was defeated in a 22-18 vote. The vote fell mostly along party lines, except that Colgan and state Sen. Phillip Puckett (D) voted against it.

Political Implications

The votes were largely symbolic because neither bill is expected to pass the Republican-controlled state House, according to the Times-Dispatch (Nolan, RichmondTimes-Dispatch, 2/12). Nonetheless, the votes signal that "state Democrats are willing to expend political capital and energy on the issue," according to MSNBC (Carmon, MSNBC, 2/12).

Abortion-rights advocates applauded SB 617's passage. NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Executive Director Tarina Keene said, "We are absolutely thrilled to see the Virginia Senate take a strong stance for women's health and rights and vote to pass this critical bill," adding that the "ultrasound law is a gross invasion of women's personal privacy and the doctor-patient relationship" (RichmondTimes-Dispatch, 2/12).

Planned Parenthood Advocates for Virginia Executive Director Cianti Stewart-Reid added, "Virginia state senators have finally understood that [the ultrasound law], which is medically unnecessary and unwarranted and is really only meant to shame and judge women, needed to be repealed" (MSNBC, 2/12).

Video Round Up

N.C. Gov. To Break Campaign Promise on Abortion Bills

AP/ABC News 11's Ed Crump discusses how North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) will break his campaign pledge to not sign any abortion restrictions if he signs a 72-hour mandatory delay bill into law. Watch the video

Datapoints

See where states rank on reproductive rights across the U.S. Plus, find out how states are imposing more restrictions on and limiting women's access to abortion. Read more

At A Glance

"Not since before Roe v. Wade has a law or court decision had the potential to devastate access to reproductive health care on such a sweeping scale."

— Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, on a ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld major portions of a Texas antiabortion-rights law. Read more